The event, sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, will be held at the Westin O'Hare near Chicago.

“The past fifty years have witnessed dramatic innovations in how agricultural products are planted, harvested, and marketed,” explains Pat Knouff, a soybean farmer from Minster, Ohio, and Chairman of the Soy Transportation Coalition.

“However, for agriculture to remain profitable, we need to have the same level of innovation in how our products are distributed. A modern agriculture requires a modern infrastructure.”

The goals of the summit are:

1.) To raise the awareness of the importance of transportation to the success and profitability of U.S. agriculture;

2.) To precipitate and motivate further action to promote a transportation infrastructure that better serves the interests of U.S. agriculture;

3.) To provide a venue for advocates of U.S. agriculture to network and develop collaborations for the purpose of promoting the transportation needs of U.S. agriculture; and

4.) To build bridges between government and agricultural interests that will result in more effective promotion of agricultural transportation issues.

Daniel Elliott, Chairman of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, has been confirmed as a speaker on July 30th.

Confirmed panelists include Rick Calhoun, president of Cargo Carriers, Cargill, Inc.; Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition; and Steve Stockton, director of civil works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

  Rail Transportation: Current and future role of rail in transporting agricultural products, Trends in rail
infrastructure investment, Rail and shipper perspectives on rail service and liability issues, Opportunities
to stimulate further rail investment in rural America.